A WNBA rookie has been criticized for feedback regarding Caitlin Clark.

The remarks had been made on the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday night time.

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TCU product Hailey Van Lith was drafted by the Chicago Sky in New York Metropolis.

However the 23-year-old shortly discovered concerning the repercussions for answering a selected query.

Van Lith took half in a recreation that put her on the spot as she was requested to rank well-known athletes.

The sport is named “Begin, Bench, Minimize,” and the immensely well-liked Indiana Fever famous person Caitlin Clark, whose followers are identified to be protecting of her, was included within the recreation.

Van Lith was put in a brutal spot when she was requested to label Clark, WNBA icon Diana Taurasi, and New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu.

“Oh my gosh,” Van Lith advised an interviewer on the WNBA’s orange carpet.

“Give flowers to the legend.

“We’re gonna begin Diana Taurasi… I will bench Sabrina [Ionescu] and lower Caitlin [Clark].”

Van Lith was the one participant to chop Clark, as others selected Taurasi, Ionescu, or did not take part within the recreation.

The rookie’s snub towards Clark wasn’t taken nicely by social media customers on X.

“That was uncalled for Hailey,” one commented.

“She should not have stated that,” one other wrote.

“So disrespectful to Clark,” a 3rd added.

It is comprehensible why Van Lith selected to play Taurasi and bench Ionescu, leaving Clark because the odd girl out.

Taurasi was a three-time WNBA champion, an 11-time All-Star, and a six-time Olympic gold medalist.

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She’s additionally the league’s all-time main scorer.

Ionescu, in the meantime, simply helped the Liberty win the WNBA title and is a three-time All-Star.

Clark is simply heading into her second WNBA season, however she simply gained the league’s Rookie of the Yr award and helped the Fever attain the playoffs.

Each Clark and Van Lith have a historical past as the 2 had a school rivalry.

Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes beat Lith’s Louisville Cardinals, respectively, within the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Tournaments.

The primary event noticed Clark carry out John Cena‘s “You possibly can’t see me” hand gesture after scoring on Van Lith.

Throughout that very same recreation, Clark additionally appeared to inform Van Lith, “you are down 15 factors, shut up.”

Clark scored 41 factors in that recreation whereas Van Lith posted 26 because the Hawkeyes beat the Cardinals, 97-83.

Van Lith will now be reunited along with her former LSU teammate, Angel Reese, who’s additionally a rival of Clark in Chicago.